Forces in Business Awards

🚨 | ANNOUNCED: Finalists for the 2026 U.S. Forces in Business Awards

🇺🇸 Showcasing and honoring the exceptional veterans, reservists and Military Friendly employers driving American business forward

🏆 Winners revealed at America's premier celebration of veteran talent – Dec 1, NYC / Dec 10, Dallas

exforcesinbusiness.co.uk/2026/11/03/fin…

🏆 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Sally Orange MBE, Army Cadet Force

The judges were truly inspired by Sally's extraordinary courage, humility and refusal to let adversity define her. Having raised close to £1 million for charity and continued her remarkable journey through a cancer diagnosis and further personal challenges, she has built something that will endure well beyond her own story. Her use of filmmaking, public speaking and community-building to amplify her impact showed genuine creative vision. One judge summed up the panel's feelings perfectly: truly deserved and genuinely remarkable.  
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🏆 CHAMPION OF WOMEN AWARD: Gemma Whitley, PA Consulting

The judges were deeply impressed by Gemma's courage, tenacity and the tangible difference she has made for women in her organisation. As the first female warrant officer in her squadron, she drove female representation from two to twelve, tackled toxic behaviour head-on, championed pay equity and built a promotion pipeline that will outlast her tenure. One judge simply asked: what would this organisation look like without her?  
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🏆 BUSINESS LEADER OF THE YEAR: Chris Yates, Willmott Dixon

The judges were won over by Chris's remarkable business turnaround story. Transitioning into a completely different sector from his Parachute Regiment background, he took to it like a duck to water, rebuilding a failing regional business through trusted relationships, strong metrics and a genuine focus on cultural wellbeing. The judges admired how seamlessly he translated military leadership into commercial excellence, delivering results without sacrificing morale. 
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🏆 ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARD: Alexander Coniff, British Antarctic Survey

The judges were in awe of Alexander's engineering leadership on a mammoth infrastructure programme in Antarctica — one of the most demanding and safety-critical environments on earth. Responsible for critical life support systems at a relatively young age, his technical competence, operational discipline and resilience shaped by his Royal Engineers background drew widespread admiration. The scale, complexity and consequence of his work made this a truly exceptional submission. One judge described it as an elite-level engineering impact — and the panel agreed unanimously.  
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